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born with half a brain???

i went into the pet store to pick something up today and was talking about my puppy,
the worker there mentiond there used to be a local breeder (not mine) who bred for a while..she used the same mom and dad she had used in previous litters, and had a new litter.
at 3 weeks age they started to die..and she didn't know why...further looking into it..they discovered the puppies brains hadn't devleoped..they only had half a brain ... this was in every puppy in the litter and the remaining puppies they had to put to sleep.
she went and googled this and said she discovered itw as common in this breed

THATS THE FIRST ive ever heard of it and ive been doing a bunch of research on health isues this year..
is that really true? is it common? has anyone ever heard of this?

Oliver and Max and Meeko man, i will meet you at the Rainbow bridge. I love you all. Miss you more then you'll ever know.
wait for me...
Chelsea

Maybe she was thinking of hydrocephalus. Or syringomyelia. Neither is 'having half a brain' but sounds like she was confused. I think most likely she is thinking of hydrocephalus which is known in the breed. It is a lot more common in English Toy Spaniels (King Charles Spaniels). Maybe she mixed up the breeds.

Sorry no offense but it seems pretty stupid of a person to say "oh what kind of dog are you getting" then go on the reply "on that breed is awful because________" or whatever something else dump. Especially from a stranger, the response should have been positive or at least neutral like "oh that breed is small" or cute or something other than a bad story AND wrong. Its different here or when you go somewhere for specific info. Even if I come across a dog breed that I have less than a perfect experience with I don't just come out and say "oh your Yorkie is just yappy as my sister's" that would be rude.

Also the first time I took Fletcher to the groomer (for getting his nails clipped) another costumer said "oh cavalier's are cute but they run away from home if your not really careful" I just smiled. When the lady walked away my daughter bless her she is just like me she said "yeah and he has 4 legs so he can run faster than you too Mom." It was funny.

Melissa
"If you don't own a dog, at least one, there is not necessarily anything wrong with you, but there may be something wrong with your life."
-Roger Caras

I actually tell people that Cavaliers have a lot of health issues that they should be aware of before they get one themselves. Everyone always says my dog is so cute, what kind is he, where did you get him?... I always get questioned, and I just want people to know that this is a great breed, but they have some serious health problems, and it shouldn't be taken lightly just because they are so cute. I would never say that Cavs are awful, or even recommend people not get one, but I do think it's appropriate to mention accurate health information such as MVD and the high prevalence of SM in Cavaliers.

I have had Cavaliers since 1983 and spent some years breeding on a small scale too yet I'm another who has never heard of this alleged malformation. Sorry, but I would say the woman in the shop was either misinformed or made it up herself. You know there are lots of people out there who just like to spoil everything for others and I think this might be one of those.

Your so cute. That wouldn't offend ME.
I agree though. As a professional in a pet store it should be all positive responses. The story was really disturbing for any normal person, let alone someone who's puppy is younger then the ones mentioned.
She must have had wrong info, like the telephone game. But I just thought oh godwas there another common ailment that I missed?!

It's always good to have you guys to run things passed though.
It's good to be educated, at the same time.., its time to enjoy the excitement and joy of a new puppy, not be told horror stories!!!

Oliver and Max and Meeko man, i will meet you at the Rainbow bridge. I love you all. Miss you more then you'll ever know.
wait for me...
Chelsea

Any breed can have an occasional genetic hiccup. My grandmother bred Pekes in the 1940s and 50s, bought a very well-bred bitch from a top kennel, but she (the bitch, not my grandmother!) had been born with only half a tail, and many of her puppies had physical disabilities such as cleft palates. Even I, at 14, could have told my grandmother that being born with half a tail might well signify a genetic deficiency that could be passed on, but this didn't mean that it was a widespread characteristic of Pekes. There may well be an occasional Cavalier litter that has such a genetic blip (though I doubt if it was literally 'half a brain' - that sounds like the wrong end of the stick!), but you can't generalise from that that Cavaliers as a whole are prone to such a condition.